For instance, 
she has decided that some of her toys – especially the more solid ones – make a great hammer. The problem is that she doesn’t need nails… she’ll just pound away on the coffee table or, on occasion, Poppa.
Then there’s the ever-popular throwing food onto the ground. This is a relatively new trick but pretty annoying, nonetheless. She has decided that her high chair tray is just a ramp to launch her food. And, like Evel Knievel over the Snake River Canyon, it just falls helplessly to the floor.
But, there is one little discovery she has made that makes me smile and wonder how in the world she figured it out. Finley loves to dance.
We noticed that she understood music a few months ago. Whenever a toy or book launched into a song, she would start rocking back and forth or bob her head. It was like she figured out that she was supposed to move whenever she heard music. She may not know what the song is about or anything about music itself, but she knows to move. And that’s good enough.
Last weekend, things took a bit of a turn. Most of the time, whenever music would pop up, she would be sitting down and start bopping to the tune. Nowadays, she spends a little more time upright, holding on to the coffee table or whatever structure or person is close enough to pull up on.
And as she is standing there, grasping the table, one of her toys launches into one of its little songs. Instead of going into her bopping motion, like I though she would do, she starts swaying side to side and picking up her feet in an almost marching fashion. You can see it here.
Again, I’m not sure how she figured this out. Maybe some kid at daycare has a choreographer for a parent. Or maybe that’s just the way music works. As adults we don’t just burst into random dance moves when a song comes on the radio(Although maybe we should, every once in a while), but we’ll tap our foot or pencil or do a head bob of our own. Maybe it is something engrained in our DNA that tells us to move to the music. I know I’m glad she’s figuring it out and I even wonder if I had a little to do with it.
You see, when Heather was about seven months pregnant I convinced her to let me bring in my iPod and put headphones over her belly. And for the next half hour or so, Fetal Finley got a dose of the second side of The Beatles’ Abbey Road.
Now, I had heard that babies in the womb can hear the outside world, so I figured this was a good intro into the possibilities of music out here. I didn’t think too much about it, after the fact. That is, until she was barely a month old.
She was having a bit of a cry spell and we were finding it difficult to soothe her. Then, in the back of my mind I remembered playing The Beatles for her. I turned on iTunes and found Abbey Road. Instantly she quieted and seemed to recognize the music coming through the speakers. She probably was just fascinated by the music in general, but I like to think she recognized John, Paul, George and Ringo.
And now she’s working on her moves. Of course, I’ll have to teach her a few steps. And of course, her mother will tell her to ignore me. It doesn’t matter, really. If she wants to take up ballet or Irish step dancing or even bust a few hip hop moves. As long as she has the passion she shows right now when music is brand new and all she wants to do is sway her body and stomp her feet.
So next time a good tune comes on the radio, and you start tapping your foot, take a look around and if no one is watching, let yourself go and move to the music. Then you’ll know what Finley is feeling.
she has decided that some of her toys – especially the more solid ones – make a great hammer. The problem is that she doesn’t need nails… she’ll just pound away on the coffee table or, on occasion, Poppa.Then there’s the ever-popular throwing food onto the ground. This is a relatively new trick but pretty annoying, nonetheless. She has decided that her high chair tray is just a ramp to launch her food. And, like Evel Knievel over the Snake River Canyon, it just falls helplessly to the floor.
But, there is one little discovery she has made that makes me smile and wonder how in the world she figured it out. Finley loves to dance.
We noticed that she understood music a few months ago. Whenever a toy or book launched into a song, she would start rocking back and forth or bob her head. It was like she figured out that she was supposed to move whenever she heard music. She may not know what the song is about or anything about music itself, but she knows to move. And that’s good enough.
Last weekend, things took a bit of a turn. Most of the time, whenever music would pop up, she would be sitting down and start bopping to the tune. Nowadays, she spends a little more time upright, holding on to the coffee table or whatever structure or person is close enough to pull up on.
And as she is standing there, grasping the table, one of her toys launches into one of its little songs. Instead of going into her bopping motion, like I though she would do, she starts swaying side to side and picking up her feet in an almost marching fashion. You can see it here.Again, I’m not sure how she figured this out. Maybe some kid at daycare has a choreographer for a parent. Or maybe that’s just the way music works. As adults we don’t just burst into random dance moves when a song comes on the radio(Although maybe we should, every once in a while), but we’ll tap our foot or pencil or do a head bob of our own. Maybe it is something engrained in our DNA that tells us to move to the music. I know I’m glad she’s figuring it out and I even wonder if I had a little to do with it.
You see, when Heather was about seven months pregnant I convinced her to let me bring in my iPod and put headphones over her belly. And for the next half hour or so, Fetal Finley got a dose of the second side of The Beatles’ Abbey Road.
Now, I had heard that babies in the womb can hear the outside world, so I figured this was a good intro into the possibilities of music out here. I didn’t think too much about it, after the fact. That is, until she was barely a month old.
She was having a bit of a cry spell and we were finding it difficult to soothe her. Then, in the back of my mind I remembered playing The Beatles for her. I turned on iTunes and found Abbey Road. Instantly she quieted and seemed to recognize the music coming through the speakers. She probably was just fascinated by the music in general, but I like to think she recognized John, Paul, George and Ringo.
And now she’s working on her moves. Of course, I’ll have to teach her a few steps. And of course, her mother will tell her to ignore me. It doesn’t matter, really. If she wants to take up ballet or Irish step dancing or even bust a few hip hop moves. As long as she has the passion she shows right now when music is brand new and all she wants to do is sway her body and stomp her feet.
So next time a good tune comes on the radio, and you start tapping your foot, take a look around and if no one is watching, let yourself go and move to the music. Then you’ll know what Finley is feeling.
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